West Virginia
Trump or Harris? At this West Virginia bar almost nobody is voting. Can either candidate win them over?
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At Crockett’s Lodge in Star City, West Virginia, just outside Morgantown, I experienced something I have never encountered before, 12 of the 15 people I spoke to aren’t voting. They have very interesting opinions about the state of modern politics, but they don’t think their vote matters.
As soon as I walked in, I knew I had dressed inappropriately. I had on a smart button down and a pair of Lucky slacks I’d purchased from the local TJ Maxx, when I should have worn my old beat up 2005 Troy Vincent Eagles jersey.
Side eyes aside, the first guy I talked to was named Rock, “they’re all criminals on both sides,” he told me, “So what’s the difference?”
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I glanced up at the attractive bartender in her early 30s and said, “Do you vote?”
“No,” she said,” what’s the point?”
A few minutes later I saw a guy walk in with an American flag T-shirt reading, “I’m a patriot.”
I said, “Hey, I saw your shirt.” I explained that I go around hassling people about their politics for Fox, and he was game. He loves Harris, he’s all in. He told me, “I pray every night that Trump doesn’t win, that disrespectful son of a b**ch.”
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Micaheal told me he had spent 30 years in the gas industry and he believes that Harris has turned a new leaf on fracking.
As I tried to dig down on that, his wife arrived back from the restroom and just shut it down. “I’m not an idiot,” I said. “Thank you and have a great night.”
The next people I spoke to were Mike and Zach, both in their mid-twenties. Mike votes, Zach doesn’t. I said, “Zach, why don’t you vote?”
“It makes no difference, I live in West Virginia, Trump will win, so what does it matter?”
I said “who would you vote for?”
And this freakin’ guy, like he’s on cable news, says, “Well, who would you vote for given how life was between 2016 and 2020 compared to now?”
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I said, “You’re making a stronger argument for Trump than your MAGA buddy here.”
I asked them if I could buy them a shot of Irish whiskey as I was bending their ear. They asked for Lemon Drops, whatever that is, and I told them, in frankness, that this could be part of the problem.
It just didn’t stop, no matter which way they leaned. I kept hearing, “what’s the point of voting?”
One of these guys, Joe, who had a bucket of Natty Ice cans, said he would vote for Harris, if he voted, because he is poor and she would give him money.
I asked him if he thought that she might also make things more expensive.
He said he didn’t know, but that he thought she would give him more.
Believe me, when I tell you that I am not disparaging anything about the wonderful Crockett’s Lodge or the voters, or mostly not voters, I met there. Ten out of ten recommend it. But I do wonder if either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump can move these people.
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They feel forgotten and left behind. Rock told me, “I just want to smoke weed on my porch in peace.”
The last two people I talked to were Chris and Nicole, who are expecting their first child in a few months. Both are Trump supporters, both watched the debate and thought Harris did fine, but said, “It’s still just so hard to live and pay for it.”
I envied them in a way. They are about to have a newborn who loves them and hangs on them. I have a 14-year-old son who loves me but regularly roasts me and his mom in ways that would make Don Rickles blush, but it’s good.
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I never like hearing that people aren’t voting, and yeah, maybe in Morgantown, West Virginia it won’t affect the final outcome, but 50 miles in Pennsylvania it will, are these people really so different?
If there is a candidate who can motivate the cats I met in Morgantown. It’ll be a landslide on November 5. But so far, they are not impressed.
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— Story by David Walsh, Photo gallery by Will Wotring
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Divisions I and II are going as expected after Thursday night’s opening round in the 78th West Virginia High School State Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Health Network Arena. University, seeking a third straight large school title, and Parkersburg found themselves in the top two in the standings on a night dominated by pins as No. 1 seeds would beat up on No. 4 seeds.
University started the event minus two competitors. One did not make weight and the other, who won a state title a year ago, is not competing as he’s recovering from a football injury.
One competitor delivering big for the Hawks is Maximus Fortier, a junior who transferred in from Fairmont Senior. While there, he won the state title as a freshman at 144 with a final record of 41-1. He competes at 165 now and is 36-2 after winning with a first-round pin Thursday night.
“Come down, support the team and try to win,” Fortier said of his battle plan. “Wrestle the way we know how.”
Fortier and the Hawks won the Ron Mauck OVAC title, the WSAZ Invitational and West Virginia Duals during the season. He competed in two major tournaments as well. He went 2-2 in the Ironman and won his weight class in the Powerade Tournament which attracts the top teams in the nation.
“Wasn’t ready,” he said about the Ironman. “Did my thing at Powerade. It was big.”
Fortier said support at his new school grows every day.
“They treat me like family,” he said.
Strategy for the State Tournament is simple.
“Wrestle the way we know how to wrestle,” Fortier said.
University capitalized on a strong finish in the heavier weights and leads with 47 points. Parkersburg, which finished second here last year, trails with 39.5. Cabell Midland is third with 37.5 and Huntington fourth with 32.5.
Ripley is in year two in Division II. The Vikings placed sixth a year ago. They came to town as the Region 4 winner and qualified 11 with nine taking first and the other two second. Ripley leads after Thursday with 38 points thanks to wins by pin or major fall. Independence is second with 27 and Keyser third with 25.5. Cameron is the leader in Division III with 16 points.
The tournament continues Friday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the girls have their state with action starting at 8 a.m. The boys begin at 10:30.
Championship finals are Saturday night at 6:30. Wrestlers are now seeded prior to the tournament and the pill breaks deadlocks.
During the season, Ripley won the West Virginia Duals, beat Herbert Hoover twice, Point Pleasant and also got wins over Parkersburg South and Huntington.
Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.
Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble
Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State
Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana
First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall
Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State
How is this even possible?
Short answer? I don’t really know.
My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.
Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.
If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.
The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.
The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.
At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.
Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.
“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.
The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.
Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.
Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.
“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”
For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
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